“If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat…. I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.”
–Annie Edson Taylor

Barreling across the Niagara Falls

Annie Taylor was born on October 24 in 1838 in Auburn, New York. She was brought up among seven other siblings, though her father died when she was 12 yet her childhood had been comfortable with the money their father had left them. In the later years she became a school teacher and got married to David Taylor, her son died in infancy and later her husband too. Her career as a widow involved trying to become a dance instructor and a music teacher, since this did not work out for Taylor she then decided to sail across the Niagara Falls in barrel.
Annie used a customized barrel made of oak and iron with mattress padding and a cat was sent first as a test drive, which it survived with a wound on the head. Annie Taylor set off on her 63rd birthday and succeeded in going across the Niagara in a barrel, her trip only took 20 minutes to complete. Although her intention to do this was purely for financial purposes, she did not receive a lot. Later, her barrel and money was stole by her manager and never recovered, she died on April 29th in 1921.
Although Annie was not able to receive enough financial help through her stunt but she did make it clear for people wanting to do the same, it’s possible to travel across The Niagara falls in a barrel- go for it.